Helpless (Blue Fire Saga)

by Scott Prussing

  Glancing down at the forest floor, an idea came to her—a totally inconspicuous idea she hoped would distract Josef by its very simplicity. She peered around the tree and focused on the ground behind the black wizard’s foot.

  “Blitha egras sumuss,” she whispered, picturing one of the small vines she had seen growing near her feet.

  A tiny vine sprouted from the soil behind Josef’s foot, too small to be noticed by the black waziri.

  “Blitha egras sumuss,” she intoned over and over again.

  She watched as the vine increased in length and thickness. Next, she pictured it wrapping itself around Josef’s ankle, like the man-eating vines she had seen once in a science fiction movie.

  The vine circled Josef’s ankle twice before he noticed it. Startled, he tore his foot away from the slender vine, snapping the wood in half. His head jerked from side to side, searching for the source of the magic. Leesa could tell he knew it hadn’t come from Dominic. She pulled herself farther back behind the tree.

  The small break in Josef’s concentration cost him several precious feet in his battle with Dominic. Dominic had been right, Leesa thought—you never knew when a spell might come in handy, even a simple one like the growth spell. For a moment, she hoped Dominic would now prevail, but Josef’s bolt grew even blacker than before and began to force Dominic’s beam back. Somehow, Josef was increasing the amount of black magic he was pouring into his bolt. Dominic seemed to have no answer.

  Suddenly, a dark blur streaked through the trees toward Josef from his left. Leesa’s heart soared as she saw Rave racing toward the wizard. Surely Rave and Dominic combined would be more than a match for Josef. The black wizard raised his free hand and Rave came crashing to a halt just ten feet from his foe, stopped by some magic Leesa could not see. While she watched, two thick black bands appeared around Rave, one pinning his arms to his sides, the other holding his legs together. She could see Rave straining against the magical bands. Blue fire burned from his fingers, but the bands steadily tightened. His volkaane strength and magical fire could not break the black magic.

  Josef kept his left hand raised toward Rave, keeping him pinned while he turned his attention back to Dominic. Slowly but steadily, Josef’s black energy forced Dominic’s yellow-white beam backwards.

  Leesa watched, horrified, as the bands tightened around Rave and the dark bolt pushed relentlessly toward Dominic. She had never felt so helpless. The man she loved and the man she needed to help her embrace her magic were both about to die.

  44. desperation

  Leesa’s heart raced, her body shot full of adrenaline from fear and worry. Josef’s black bolt had pushed to within five feet of Dominic now. In moments, the black magic would overwhelm him. And once Dominic was out of the way, the black wizard could turn his full might against Rave. Rave wouldn’t stand a chance. She had to do something—but what?

  The growth spell had produced a distraction, but it was much too short-lived. She needed something bigger, something that would grab Josef’s attention in a much more solid way. As hard as it was for her to do it, she pulled her eyes from Rave and Dominic and scanned the woods around Josef, searching desperately for some kind of idea.

  Ten or fifteen feet behind Josef, she spied a small log. It was about a foot thick and maybe eight feet long. She had never moved anything close to this heavy. But she had sent Edwina hurtling through the air, and she was a vampire. If she could just get the log rolling….

  She looked back at Rave, watching as the black bands continued to tighten around him. His bronze face had darkened from the exertion of struggling against the magic. She didn’t know whether it was pain or frustration, but she hated the expression that twisted his handsome features. Unless she somehow stopped Josef, those bands were going to squeeze the life out of her beloved. Her anger rose to near boiling.

  She forced her eyes away from Rave and back to the log, picturing it rolling toward Josef’s legs. For a moment, it seemed to rock back and forth, as if trying to break free of the inertia that held it in place. She squeezed her jaw shut and redoubled her concentration, fueling it with her anger.

  Slowly, the log began to move, just a little at first, but a bit more with each moment. Finally, it started rolling, picking up speed as it drew closer to Josef. Leesa held her breath as the log prepared to smash into the back of Josef’s legs. She wondered if a wizard’s legs might snap as easily as a person’s, but she did not get a chance to find out. Somehow, at the very last moment, the black wizard sensed the danger behind him and leaped into the air while the log rolled harmlessly beneath him. Dominic seized the chance to press his attack but gained only a few feet. Leesa could see that the bands around Rave had loosened, but not nearly enough for him to free himself.

  She watched as Josef quickly scanned the woods behind him, seeking the source of this new attack, but of course he found nothing. Leesa had hoped the unseen threat would distract him much more than it had, but it seemed as if Josef’s inability to sense her magic was actually working against her. Apparently, since Josef could detect no other source for the magic, he was assuming the attack must have come from Dominic. Leesa was crushed. She had failed.

  Convinced there was no other threat, Josef redoubled his dual attacks on Dominic and Rave, unleashing the full might of his black magic. Dominic’s knees began to buckle under the onslaught as the dark bolt pushed against him.

  Leesa had no choice. There was only one thing left for her to do. She sucked in a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree.

  Josef looked at her with surprise. He studied her for a brief moment, but when his senses detected no magic he turned away, confident she represented no danger.

  Leesa needed to show him different, to grab his attention. She focused on the log. She had moved it once, giving her an immediate visual that she used to help her move it again.

  It rolled more easily this time, heading back for Josef. Once again, Josef easily jumped over the log. This time, however, he focused his gaze on Leesa. For the first time, she saw a faint trace of confusion on his face.

  “Blitha egras sumuss,” she chanted loudly, making certain Josef heard her casting the spell. A tiny branch near the end of the log began to grow longer. Exactly what the spell produced didn’t matter—the twig itself was inconsequential. She just needed to show Josef she possessed magic. She need him confused, distracted.

  Josef stared at Leesa, an incredulous look on his face. He had just heard her utter a waziri spell, yet could sense no magic coming from her. He did not think such a thing was possible. He knew she must have been the one who made the vine wrap around his leg and who caused the log to roll at him, so why couldn’t he detect her magic? More importantly, how big of threat did she pose? So far, her efforts had been weak and ineffectual, but Josef did not like the idea of leaving a source of magic unopposed on his flank.

  Dominic took advantage of Josef’s momentary distraction to once again press his attack, but Leesa could see he was nearly out of energy. Josef beat back Dominic’s assault easily, then pulled his left hand away from Rave and raised it toward Leesa.

  Leesa had no defense against the coming attack. The power that Dominic and Rave could withstand, at least for awhile, would consume her in mere seconds. She could only hope her distraction and sacrifice had been enough.

  As Josef turned his focus to confront the mysterious new threat, the bands encircling Rave weakened. His strength reinforced by the danger to Leesa, Rave burst from his magical bonds and was upon Josef in a flash, pressing his mouth over the black wizard’s face and unleashing the full force of his fire before Josef could defend himself. Dominic had told them that not even a waziri could withstand a volkaane’s fire, and Rave quickly proved him correct. In less than a minute, Josef collapsed lifeless to the ground.

  Rave turned his head and spat. The wizard’s life force had been a hundred times more perverted than even Jarubu’s. He hoped he never tasted anything like it again. He stepped away and watche
d as Josef’s body disintegrated into a pile of coal black ash.

  Leesa rushed into Rave’s arms and hugged him tightly. His body was hotter than she had ever felt it, except for their out of control kiss. She didn’t mind one single bit.

  All at once, wrapped up in Rave’s arms, the emotions of the last few minutes began pouring out of her—the fear, the frustration, the worry, the anger. She couldn’t hold them in any longer. She began to cry—great, heaving sobs. Raves simply held her tighter and stroked her hair.

  Dominic joined them, but stood a few discreet feet away, giving them space.

  Finally, Leesa had no more tears to cry, no more emotions to let out. Spent, she stepped back from Rave’s embrace, but kept her arms linked around one of his. No way was she letting go of him now.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t help it.”

  Rave and Dominic smiled.

  “Sorry?” Dominic asked. “Sorry for saving both of us? Sorry for being the bravest person I have ever met? Sorry for confronting one of our deadliest enemies and confusing him so much that Rave was able to destroy him?” His smile widened. “Yes, I’d say you have a lot to be sorry for, young lady. A whole lot.”

  Leesa smiled. “I guess I did do pretty good for a beginner, huh?” She pulled one arm free from Rave and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “But I don’t see either one of you crying like a baby.” Her smile assured them she was at least half joking.

  Rave and Dominic both laughed.

  “I never expected the growing spell to come in so handy,” Dominic said. “I only taught it to you so you could experience casting your first spell, not as something you would use to help destroy a black wizard.” He looked over to the pile of black ashes that had once been Josef. “There’s one more thing I need to do.”

  He walked over to the pile of ashes and held his hands above them, palms down. White light shone down from his hands and the ashes began to crackle and vibrate as his magic burned into them. A thin rope of dark smoke curled up from the ashes as they slowly disintegrated. Soon there was nothing left but the narrow stream of smoke, which slowly disappeared into the dimness above.

  “Josef’s foul magic is gone forever now,” Dominic explained. “Nothing can be done to reanimate it.”

  Leesa was very glad to hear that. Unfortunately, there were still three more like him out there…and the Necromancer as well.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Scott Prussing was born in New Jersey, but was smart enough to move to beautiful San Diego as soon as he received his Master's degree in psychology from Yale University. In addition to writing, Scott enjoys going to the movies (not renting!), hiking, riding his bicycle near the beach, and golf. He remains one of the few people in the United States without a cell phone.

  Contact Scott and learn all about his books at www.scottprussing.com.